Page 77 of Threads of Fate

Did he do that?

And there it is, the real thing that has Nix really, really on the edge of a meltdown. So far, he’s let his mind skirt away from the really strange things that today has brought. Like he’s told Leo, he feels so safe—so good—for the first time in forever since hewatched Jamie drive away nine years ago, and his life went up in flames.

Can he be blamed for wanting to justbehappy, to justbesafe, to justbeloved?

He just wants to pretend it’s all normal.Makeit his new normal. Jamie said that he loves them all, including Nix. He can feel that spot in his chest flutter again, and he’s desperate to let that be true, but after what he’d done to Gideon, he knows he can’t live in this self-prescribed delusion any longer. If Nix has learned anything in his time with his abuser, it’s that fantasies of happily-ever-after have never served him. It’s time for some reality and some answers.

They pull up to and then through a fifteen-foot-tall wrought-iron gate, and the long driveway reveals a stunning corner of heaven in the center of Nashville. It’s composed of several joined square modern structures on a few levels with long “wings” that reach out on opposite sides. It can’t be more than a few years old. There are so many large windows, and they reflect the late afternoon sun.

There are lots of mature trees and bushes, and many of them are just starting with their fall foliage. There’s even a large grassy area that runs alongside the long stone drive that leads up to a huge car garage, one of which is open, and Nix can see the fancy white car from before parked inside.

“You livehere?” He knows he sounds incredulous. Jamie’s family had had a pretty nice house in Florida, not that he’d been allowed inside, but it was nothing like this.

“Yeah. Grayson designed it. The inside, too, come to think of it. We like it. Wanna come see?” He looks so hopeful that even though he’shellaintimidated, he smiles and lets Jamie unbuckle him.

“Up we go, baby.” Jamie has turned his back and expects him to climb up for a piggyback ride.

“What? No, I can walk.”

“You’re not wearing shoes, and every time you walk too far, you lose your pants. Come on. Humor me.” He waggles his butt, forcing a giggle past Nix’s lips.

“Fine.”

Rowan opens the door when they’re almost there. Rowan has changed from his suit pants and dress shirt into a black tank top and black cargo pants. “Welcome home,” the bigger man purrs with a smirk.

Nix nearly swallows his tongue because Rowan Foster is so hot. So, so,sohot. Easily six-foot-five, with broad shoulders, large freckled tattooed biceps, and veiny forearms with a light dusting of reddish-blond hair, all on full display. Absolutelyhugehands. He uses a long finger to wipe a bit of white from the corner of his mouth, and Nix glimpses his tongue. Nix wants to climb him like a tree.

Jamie passes Rowan in the corridor with a peck to his cheek as Nix nearly breaks his neck, trying to keep him in sight. When he can’t anymore, he turns slightly, glimpsing Rowan’s reflection in a mirror, arms raised in a silent “win!” position. Nix hides his face in the side of Jamie’s neck and giggles. Good to know that Rowan likes his attention as much as Nix likes him. But that smug expression will not do at all.

“Jamie. Stop. Put me down, please.” When his feet are on the warm wood, he drops the grip that he has on his pants and lets them fall to the floor. He picks them up, tossing them at Jamie before heading back the way they’d come. He follows his ears into a giant open-concept kitchen with floor-to-ceiling windows that go up two floors. Green plants hang everywhere, and there are even more sitting on shelves. Rowan is eating an ice cream cone, leaning on the counter beside a vase of sunshine-yellow roses and a bowl of lemons.

“Rowan, will you let me know when Gideon comes home, please? I need to apologize.”

Rowan’s eyes go wide. He looks past Nix to Jamie standing behind him. “Uh…yeah. He’s home already. Blew in here about five minutes before you.”

Nix tilts his head, and he can’t help but be skeptical. “He got here on footbeforeus?”

Jamie coughs, and when Nix looks at him, he’s rubbing the back of his neck. Nix recognizes the gesture as a sure sign that Jamie is about to lie his ass off even after all this time. “No. Jamie, just no. If whatever is about to come out of your mouth isn’t 100% the truth, then just stop.” His mouth snaps shut, and it’s a good thing, too, because Nix is done with being in the dark.

Rowan laughs and goes back to the ice cream cone. Vanilla. His favorite, if he remembers correctly; after all, he hasn’t had ice cream in five years. He slinks over, takes Rowan’s giant,oh god,long-fingered hand in his, and takes a long lick of the ice cream cone. While making eye contact. Rowan’s mouth drops open a tiny bit.

Turning on his heel, Nix calls, “Come along, James.”

He relishes his dramatic exit when he hears a whimpering, “Holy fuuuuuuck.”

Jamie laughs and follows him out, whispering, “Phoenix Rena, you are a menace.”

He’s got no idea where he’s headed after that exit, so turns toward the open-concept living room still visible from the kitchen. There’s a large L-shaped leather sectional and a big screen TV, bookshelves, and more of those incredible windows. The kitchen’s breakfast bar and large table are visible from every corner of the well-lit room. The open concept is beautiful and, oh, so welcoming. Grayson is incredibly talented for being able to create just a warm and inviting home on this scale.

Beyond the sliding glass doors, Nix can see an in-ground pool and a hot tub, both steaming a bit in the cooling afternoon air.

“Your pool is still open. Isn’t it too cold?” He doesn’t touch the glass, but he presses up as close as he can get.

“We like to keep it open for as long as we can. It’s heated. We’ll have to close it soon, though. But we can swim later if you’d like. Or use the hot tub?” He seems so eager that Nix has to hug him.

Wrapping his arms around his waist, he puts his head on Jamie’s chest, breathing him in. It’s so relaxing like his heart is beating in both Jamie’s chest and his own, in sync for the first time in so long. He feels like he can rest.

“Let’s sit, yeah? And talk.” The nerves are clear in Jamie’s voice, and the last time he was this nervous, he’d told Nix he was leaving for Nashville.

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